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St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg Firecly independent trade city located on the site of St. Petersburg. Serves as the Trade hub of all northeastern Europe. Declared independence from what remained of the Russian government following the general collapse of world order and stability. Status of the Gifted: Much wealth is made from the trade in 'Disenchanters'. Through an overflow of these substances in St. Petersburg, the city has become extremely wealthy and was able to create a large cadre of subservient 'Gifted' who are referred to as 'The Sanctioned' and must register with the Ministry of Sanctions. All those who refuse government orders to consume Disenchanters and register with the city authorities are referred to (venomously) as 'Nonregs' (Short for 'The Non Regulated') The city is ruled by a central council that is headed by the wealthiest members of the Trade Guilds. Character Biography: Aleksandr Stepanychev - 'The Tzar of St. Petersburg' - Brentton White (1704009) (This character would serve as a central figure in quests and story line threads whenever a player operates in St. Petersburg.) Aleksandr Stepanychev, head of the Stepanov Mercantile Conglomerate, is the defacto power behind the mercantile council of St. Petersburg. His trade consortium is unquestionably the wealthiest, and he is frequently seen as one of the few men whose ear is worth having when dealing in the city’s politics. The Stepanov Mercantile Conglomerate was formed by his father just after the ‘Re-enchantment’. Yet fate was not kind to the fledgling organization as it suffered a rash of setbacks. Aleksandr was not the intended heir to the family, yet after a decade of middling results and the deaths of several members of his family, Aleksandr took control of the family’s dealings. Though the transition was rough at first, Aleksandr proved a highly competent administrator and swiftly took control of a majority stake in the Disenchanter trade in the northern European sector. With this wealth at his command, he has settled the SMC in St. Petersburg, the birthplace of his late father, and has steadily increased his influence over the past decade. Many of those entrenched in politics associated with St. Petersburg call Aleksandr the ‘Tzar of St. Petersburg’, a title he gentle rebuffs but does not outright deny. His word is all but law to most that would call themselves an authority both within the city and within its ever expanding extra national reach. Though he has previously come into conflict with Monarchists, a faction led by a supposed heir of the Romanov dynasty of yore, Aleksandr tends to prefer a form of coexistence with this particular branch of the city’s elite. In the past, the Monarchists have derided the SMC, including Aleksandr, as a “bunch of up-jumped serfs deluding themselves with false authority and relevance”. Yet when Aleksandr successfully outwitted and exiled one of their most prominent members, the insufferably arrogant Count Dmitri, from the city through a well-executed corruption sting, it served as a shot across the bow to the Monarchists. Nowadays, the relationship between Aleksandr and the Monarchists has been one of venomous animosity interlaced with a begrudging respect. He and their leader, Prince Vitaly Romanov, frequently spar on issues of diplomacy and city management, and their forces often violently clash in the city streets despite the official neutrality between the SCM and the Monarchists. Yet one issue has served to align their interests in recent years. Aleksandr and Prince Vitaly both share a burning hatred for the rising power that is the Petrograd 88. Not only is there a lingering resentment from the past muddying the waters given the immense damage that was wrought upon Russian society by Stalinist Russia, but there is functionally no overlap between Aleksandr and the Petrograd’s objectives, whereas Aleksandr can and does frequently cooperate with the Monarchists when it suits his long term objectives. Aleksandr has gone out of his way to attempt to thwart the Petrograd 88 at every possible turn, as he recognizes that any return to communism would almost certainly see him swiftly into a shallow grave. To that end, he has shadowed their movements with a wide network of agents and traitors, although his attempts to breach their inner circles have been heavily interrupted through their recent development of the “Clear Speech”, as his agents of malicious intent have been almost universally purged, with only a handful of exceptions, as a result of the informational gathering capabilities of “Clear Speech”. He has since begun using their development of “Clear Speech” against the Petrograd, as even in this desolate world, nothing unsettles the public more than the belief that a group is capable of ripping away their innermost thoughts without their consent, whether or not such a thing is even possible. Although not overly concerned with the ‘Gifted’ at first, the frequency with which accidents and tragedies began to accumulate forced Aleksandr to act. He instituted what has come to be known among the ‘Gifted’ communities as ‘The Shackling’, as he instituted a system of mandatory registration and consumption of ‘Disenchanters’ to be overseen by a branch of government now called the ‘Ministry of Supernatural Regulation’. It is not a coincidence that after instituting these policies, Aleksandr’s stake in the ‘Disenchanter’ trade nearly tripled over the next few months. In response, the Nonregs who had been sheltered by the Petrograd 88 began to strike out at both SCM and civilian targets, leading to several massacres within the city. Although this served to deeply trouble the city, it did not trouble Aleksandr. Whether they realized it or not, the Petrograd was playing into his hands. By taking such a violent approach, he was able to successfully propagandize the citizenry into fully accepting his intended view on the status of the ‘Gifted’, implementing regulations on their movements and freedoms, as well as heavily ingrained discrimination and prejudice towards ‘Nonregs’, those among the ‘Gifted’ who refuse to register with the authorities or consume ‘Disenchanters’. This ultimately culminated in a far more personal crusade on his part when his wife and young son were obliterated in a cataclysmic explosion caused by a suicidal Nonreg. Now deeply invested in what was once simply a propaganda tool to increase his own power, Aleksandr has become a feared name among the ‘Gifted’ community, frequently giving impassioned speeches on the benefits of order, stability, and obedience to the social norms that he has instilled within St. Petersburg. Those who do not submit to the will of the ‘Ministry of Supernatural Regulation’ are frequently refused service at any law abiding establishment, subject to fear and ridicule in the streets, and are frequently hunted down and butchered by fearful citizenry. To say that Aleksandr Stepanychev is a complicated man is an understatement. Many argue that he is little more than a petty despot seeking to destroy all threats to his power, yet that limited perception does a disservice to his ruthless cunning and moral flexibility. To presume that Aleksandr is a small minded man obsessed only with himself is to fatally underestimate his ability to play the masses into doing his bidding without ever explicitly commanding them to do so. A great many of his opponents have found themselves on the opposite end of an unruly mob after a conflict with Stepanychev took a turn for the worse. Many within the city see him as a hero, a paragon of justice in the dark times that have recently befallen the world, and his many philanthropic efforts, regardless of his actual reasons for engaging in them, only serve to strengthen this image. Regardless of what occurs in the coming months within St. Petersburg, one thing is absolutely certain: Aleksandr Stepanychev will be playing a central role in them, and more than likely finding some way in which he can turn whatever comes to his benefit. (THIS ENTRY IS INCOMPLETE, AND WILL BE UPDATED) Faction Design: The Monarchist Party of St. Petersburg Euan Gaul 1702897 The Primorsky Tsarists Background: While many highly confrontational factions exist within the streets of post-apocalyptic St. Petersburg, vying for control of the great trade city of the north, there are some that conduct themselves in a more subtle and conniving approach. They seek a reclamation for the old ways, through any means necessary, while saving public face of course. The Tsarists of the Primorsky district avoid a violent approach as much as possible. Looking to bribe and blackmail their way up the economic ladder of the trade conglomerates and to gain a foothold in the political realm of the city. To the public they have a noble claim of restoring the Russian monarchy and bringing the concept and identity of Russian culture to the world after enchantment and flooding. Behind closed doors however, things are more militaristic than one may assume. Much like tyrants of old the Tsarists will use stealthy violence and emotional intimidation to influence other politicians and important figureheads of the city to put their wealth and power in service to the monarchy. Goals as a '''faction: The overall goal of the Primorsky Tsarists is first and foremost, to bring about the rule of their perceived true heir to the Russian Monarchy in St. Petersburg. The cultural capital of the old country deserves a more suitable ruler than the selfish network of greedy capitalists that make of the trading conglomerations that have seen fit to try and erase the history of a time before enchantment and degeneracy. Ideology: Naturally, the Monarchist Party of St. Petersburg aims to reform and bring about the resurgence of Russian identity in the post-apocalypse through reintroducing the noble oligarchy of the Romanov line of succession and doing away with what they perceive to be more anarchic forms of societies under rampant unmonitored capitalism that benefits the greedy, or the foolish system of communism that divides the wealth from the worthy to undeserving serfs. While others less informed may label the party critically under the banner of Plutocracy, Prince Vitaly and his supporters refuse this definition and seek to bring about a fair and just form of Oligarchy, defined not just by the Romanov family nobility but also the inherent merit of this family that has lasted through hardships time and again. No enchantment of the earth will get in the way of the true Russian people. Key '''Figures: Prince Vitaly Romanov, alleged heir to the throne and leader of the Monarchist Party of St. Petersburg is a man rarely seen in public. Little is exactly known of the man’s background or its authenticity, particularly when it comes to the claim for nobility and the Romanov family lineage. What is most definitely known of Vitaly is that his reach is vast among the north end of the city in the district of Primorsky. Here is where his supporters have mustered in number, including some mid-level figureheads in the trade network that speak on his behalf and gather wealth in order for him to live a life of luxury, a lavishly furnished villa looking out to the gulf of Finland in which he and his most trusted advisers and political allies live and conduct the operations of the Monarchist Party. Rival '''Factions: Above all other political groups and the status quo of the city, there is none the Tsarists detest more than their long historical rival, the communists. While they may have succeeded long in the past in overthrowing the rightful monarchs and bringing about a plague of socialism to Russia, Prince Vitaly is more than determined to stamp out any presence of a communist sentiment within the city of St.Petersburg, far and wide across all districts. Ensuring this goal is one of the few times the party will openly commit to violence in the streets as the more militant among the party’s supporters bludgeon and put stop to communist events and protests held across the city. Faction Design: Petrograd 88 Adamson - 1603378 = People FOUNDED BY : Lensk Marakesh Petra Vorczech LEADERS : Lensk ( Re-Enchantment – 9,RE ) Petra ( Re-Enchantment – 12,RE ) Mastaz ( 10,RE – 15,RE ) Dari’am ( 12,RE – Present ) Vantra ( 15,RE – Present ) NOTABLE MEMBERS: Marakesh Vorczech Ulius Royal Titus Bollor Locations HEADQUARTERS : Vasilyevsky Island ( Old Administrative District ) LOCATIONS : Vasileostrovaskaya Station ( ‘Free Passage’ Bunker ) Primorskaya Station ( ‘The Pipe’ Bunker ) Flood Water Canals St. Andrew’s Cathedral Ruins ( ‘Flame Neck Throne’ ) Menshikov Palace Ruins Saint Petersburg University Remains The Old Metro Network The Gun Battery of Peter 1st Soviet Apartment System ' “' ' Work not on plans, but on goals' ' “' PT88 Petrograd 88 (Often abbreviated to PT88) is the largest rebel group within Saint Petersburg. They are a neo-communist militia of guerrilla fighters formed of the poorest members of the city, Nonregs, and other groups seen as non-desirables to the city’s merchant cabal of leaders and their Tsarist rulers. Based out of the Island of Vasilyevsky’s remains they have waged a long and bloody guerrilla campaign against the new establishment in the city. For almost two decades they have fought for a ‘Fair for All’ city and an end to the rule of the trading guilds and their backers. PT88 emphasizes and claims to support the old Soviet values of the city’s past, dating back over 100 years. They propagate communism, freedom from a ruling elite, equal treatment for the masses, and a strong militaristic stance towards neighbouring hub cities and regions. Despite their claims to equality under their rule and promises of freedom, the tales of old-world attempts at communism resulting in wide spread corruption, and cults of personality have not died out even after the re-enchantment. Some of these cracks are already beginning to surface in the current leadership. Background PT88 was born from the ashes of its precursor group, “Children of L”. “Children of L” grew out of the coincidental discovery of a box of old soviet literature within the dormitories of the Saint Petersburg University. Four scavengers (Lensk, Petra, Marakesh, and Vorczech) uncovered these works, and poured over them in their entirety. They started a small movement off the back of these ideals, “The Children of Lenin”. For years they grew and grew in peaceful self-sustenance. Eventually they outgrew what their neighbouring merchant brothers' rulers, The Tsarists, were comfortable with. The merchant cabal torched the public image of the “Children of L” as a mad cult, dedicated to the most problematic time in the city’s history. This created a civilian outcry to have them removed from the city entirely. Refusing to up their roots after building a life and home in their portion of the ruins, some of the group took to the deepest parts of their territory (the train stations and metro tunnels), whilst the bravest 88 members stood in line at the bridge to meet the angry mob head on. All 88 died. With new anger towards their merchant neighbours the remains of the Children of L were reborn as Petrograd 88, naming themselves after what their city once was, not what it currently had become. Since their rebranding and rapid militarisation into a guerrilla militia they have waged bloody raids, terrorist attacks, kidnappings, and full-scale battles in the city streets, all in the name of taking down their oppressors and Tsarist puppet masters. Society The majority of PT88’s population is made up of the poor and downtrodden who are then re-educated into neo-soviet guerrilla fighters. Within their ranks is also a high presence of the cities Nonreg community and magical beings of non-human origin. The militia accepts all who are willing to learn their beliefs, pick up a weapon in the name of the cause, or tend to the wounded if unable to fight. Life out with the field of battle for PT88 members is not easy work by any means. If you’re not a fighter you must still put in work equal to that of a fighter, be it scavenging, farming, fishing, medical work, tactical planning, or building, all must provide equally for the cause. For the gifted Nonreg members of PT88, life consists of either becoming a battle mage with the militia, or an arcanist for the civilian population. Arcanists certainly at first glance have the safer role although not without its challenges, many were lost to magical backfire when trying to perform feats on a trial and error basis. The most daring and perhaps beneficial of all these feats was the creation of “Clear Speech”. A universal telepathic language network between gifted, ungifted, myths, and monsters. It was through Clear Speech that PT88 managed to create a peace between themselves and Krostok, a huge dragon that made its lair in St. Andrews Cathedral which was originally a safe house for PT88 guerrillas. Now all magic used by a PT88 Arcanist must be approved, resulting in an almost identical system to that of the merchant cabal’s “regulating” of gifted. Battlemages on the other hand roll dice with death every day. At any moment a superior could order a battle mage on a “M.I.S.T. mission”. M.I.S.T meaning “Magically Infused Self Termination”. Considered a great honour the task is at its core a suicide bombing in the name of freedom for the perpetrators fellow fighters. The gifted at hand casts powerful spell after powerful spell until there is an explosive backfire from this, causing a huge blast in the process. For the mages not lucky enough to be granted this final glory life is no safer, every day involves violent dispute with the well-funded and never ending ranks of soldiers paid for by the merchant cabal, or the military prowess of the Tsarists and Prince Vitaly. Structure The leadership structure of PT88 works through a shared balance of power between two leaders at all times. Named the “War on Two Fronts” system it always places one leader at the civilian hub of their train tunnel housing system, and one leader in the field of battle, each carrying equal power and command over the rest of the group. Beneath this the body of the snake is formed from various notable names who have proven themselves exceptional in combat or their chosen field. The power division is linear and de-facto, orders are to be followed precisely and any chance to excel is to be done so within the parameters set by superiors. Quest Chain (Children of Ved'ma) The Quest Chain can be found here.